Marilyn Monroe

Monroe came into existence as Norma Jean Mortensen in a Los Angeles charity ward on June 1, 1926. The identity of her father remained a mystery for decades; some claimed it was Martin Edward Mortensen, whom Monroe's mother Gladys married in 1924, and who split from his wife prior to his daughter's birth. Other sources cited Charles Gifford, a salesman for RKO Pictures, where Gladys worked as a film cutter. Whatever the case, Gladys was ill-prepared to take care of the new infant, who was her third child (Monroe had two step-siblings in Kentucky from Gladys' first marriage). Additionally Gladys was plagued by mental illness, which ran in her family. After attempting to get her parents to take... Continue Bio >>